


Commander's Light

by Ncredible



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon up to 7x15, Commader's light, Lexa and Madi meet, Minor Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Post-Canon, Reunion, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26666104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ncredible/pseuds/Ncredible
Summary: Madi has died and she goes to Shadow Valley and meets a familiar face. Madi and Lexa talk as they wait for Clarke to join them.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	Commander's Light

Madi opens her eyes and looks around, confused. She had this vivid dream about Primes, the last war, and remembers a Clarke sobbing into her begging her to come back. But she's back in her bed in Shadow Valley on Earth, it had to have been a dream, she'll ask Clarke if she's ever had a dream that felt so real. Sitting up and looking over at the bed across the way, expecting to see Clarke, but no one is there. She looks down, and she is back in her clothes that she had worn in the valley, dark and layered. Her jacket is at the foot of her bed, and she grabs and walks outside, hoping to find Clarke stoking the fire for breakfast.

But Clarke isn't by the fire, and Madi can't help panicking slightly. Clarke is always around. Madi shakes herself and calls out for Clarke but no answer. Clarke always comes when she calls. Maybe she is just down at the river fishing. Maybe Madi can convince Clarke to tell her stories about her friends today instead of lessons. And with that thought in mind, Madi races off towards the river.

Madi is about halfway to the river when she stops again. She flashes back to her dream. She's leading an army as the Commander. The prisoners from the Elgious ship are lowering their weapons. Madi shakes her head to clear it; there is no one here but her and Clarke. It's been that way since Primafaya. The Skiaripa hasn't gotten the bunker open, and Bellamy and the rest haven't come back down. 

Panicking, Madi begins shouting for Clarke, needing her. But Clarke hasn't come running. Clarke always comes when she calls. She'll sing away the bad dream, and she'll suggest they do something fun today. No lessons. Maybe swim, Clarke isn't very good, but she'll watch Madi in the river. And Madi will splash Clarke until Clarke chases in after her.

Madi is at the rocks by the river in the trees she used to spy on Clarke when they first met. Madi followed her around. She watched from the trees for hours while Clarke drew in her notebook. Madi would flip through Clarke's sketches like a storybook, and Clarke would let her, except for one sketch, she took it out of the notebook after she had caught Madi with it for the fourth or fifth time. It was a sketch of Lexa, Madi had heard the name from her parents, but Madi knows the sketch means a lot to Clarke; she's caught her staring at it when she thinks Madi is asleep. But Clarke doesn't talk about the woman in the sketch. It's the one sketch Madi doesn't ask about because she doesn't like the sadness in Clarke's eyes when she does.

Madi pushes passed the trees for a clear line of sight, but Clarke is nowhere to be found. Madi screams for her again. Clarke has never kept her waiting. Never. Maybe she's in the bear cave messing with the Rover; Clarke swears it went faster, but she isn't sure what is wrong without Raven here to fix it. So Madi takes off towards the Bear Cave, sure she will find Clarke there.

Madi reaches the Bear Cave, and she remembers meeting Emori, Monty, Harper, Echo, and Bellamy. Madi stops running; her dream stops her. Harper and Monty died in space. Before Sanctum. They were happy. They had a son. Jordan. He's goofy. Murphy says it's because he only knew his parents. Like Madi herself. She knew her parents and knew Clarke but never had a chance to make friends because of her blood. But she had on Sanctum. Emori was a Prime, and she and Murphy protected her when Clarke had to save her friends. Murphy was always the funny one in Clarke's stories, but he is kind and kept Madi safe from.... no, it was just a dream none of it happened. Besides, Shediheda had died before she was born. It can't have happened. It was just a dream. Madi makes it to the bear cave, but she doesn't hear Clarke's sounds messing with the Rover, but she yells for Clarke anyways, desperate to find her. Clarke will make it better. She has too.

Madi heads back to the village, hoping she just missed Clarke. And she'll be there to lecture Madi about not letting her know where she went. Clarke will make her do an extended writing lesson, and Madi vows she won't complain if she can just be with Clarke today. Her dream really scared her.

When Madi gets back to the clearing, someone is sitting at the table, but it's not Clarke. This woman has long, dark hair. She's looking around with interest, but she hasn't turned around. Madi crouches behind the trunk of a tree, waiting for the stranger to show their face like she used to when Clarke first came.

The stranger turn towards the trees Madi has hidden in, and Madi knows the stranger heard her. She must be someone from the ground. Maybe someone from Shadow Valley from the bunker. But the stranger turns towards fully to face Madi's hiding spot, and it's the woman from Clarke's drawing; the one she won't let Madi keep and doesn't like Madi to ask about. The one Clarke stared at when she thought Madi was asleep. Madi had asked Emori after Clarke left to find her friends if she would help Madi find a frame like the Primes had on their original photos. Madi wanted to surprise Clarke by putting the sketch in a frame. Madi wanted two. One for the sketch of this woman and one for the sketch of Abby. Cause Clarke wouldn't talk about Abby dying, but she knew Clarke grieved her mother like Madi grieved for her own.

Madi jumped back. No, that's not right. It was just the dream. Abby isn't dead; she's only in the bunker and the woman in the clearing; maybe she isn't dead either perhaps she was in the bunker too, and Clarke just didn't want to talk about her. Another moment from the dream comes to Madi in full force. Clarke is crouched down, telling Madi that all Commanders die violently. Clarke's shattered voice asking if she saw her too. And Madi knew Clarke meant Lexa, the Commander before her.

“You can come out,” the woman called, “I won’t harm you. I am unarmed.” 

Madi crept forward, she couldn't see any weapons, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. Her father kept a knife hidden at his back always. Her mother kept one at her thigh, covered by a long shirt. Clarke almost always had the gun within arms reach but in recent years and left camp without it.

“My name is Lexa kom Trikru," the woman said. Madi notes that the woman was staring about a foot over her head in the tree, but Madi was sure that woman knew exactly where she was, "I was a friend of Clarke kom Skaikru.”

Madi stared at the woman. Scared, but she took a breath. Clarke wouldn't be afraid. She'll protect the valley until Clarke gets back.

Madi steps out into the clearing, “How are you here? The air makes survival impossible."

“For most,” the stranger agrees, and she slices her hand against the rough edge of the table, and Madi can see the nightblood. This woman, Lexa, is a nitblida.

"How? Where?" Madi says flashes of her dream are overpowering her. Clarke is in chains. Clarke is running towards her and immediately picks her up and hugs her tightly. Clarke and Madi are in the bunker arguing about Clarke making choices for her. Madi is in M-cap. She's telling Cadigan to go float himself. Clarke is sobbing in front of her with a gun to her head. Clarke is singing to her, a song she had never heard Clarke sing before. It's sad, and Clarke is crying and begging Madi to say something, and Madi is trying. But no words come out.

Octavia is in front of her; there is a gun. And then there's Dr. Jackson. Clarke is telling her to listen to her voice and not to be afraid. That it'll be okay. Clarke tells her she sorry that she couldn't do better for Madi, and Madi wants to shout she was the best. To tell Clarke it's okay. That they will be okay. Clarke tells her that she'll be free soon. That she can find her parents, and they will keep her safe. Clarke tells her she loves her very much. She promises Madi that they will meet again. Madi feels herself fading desperately to tell Clarke that she doesn't want to go and doesn't want to meet again. That she wants to stay with her. She wants Clarke to take care of her still. That they just had a fight, but she still needs Clarke. But Clarke's repeated whispers are gone. No more promises of meeting again. Nothing but the woman in front of her.

"You're Lexa," Madi states, looking at Lexa.

“I am,” Lexa agrees. 

“I don’t understand. Where’s Clarke? How are you here?”

"Well, that's complicated. Let's sit," Lexa heads to the bench and sits. She waits for Madi to do the same.

“Where’s Clarke,” Madi asks again, because she doesn’t want the fear in her heart to be real. 

"Clarke is still alive, I imagine. Wherever you last saw her."

"But I'm here. How can Clarke be with me if I am here with you?"

“Your body remains there. This place,” Lexa gestures around, “this is the Commander’s light.” 

"No, that's for the dead. I can't be here; I'm not a commander anymore," Madi challenges.

"But you were. And this place it morphs to allow the newest Commander a peaceful afterlife. I suppose this place for you was peaceful."

“But how the flame was just tech and it was destroyed how can I be here?” Madi asks. She remembers Gabriel shooting it. 

"Well, the flame may have been tech, but that does not mean our faith was wrong about everything."

“So, this what? Heaven?” 

“I think that’s what skaikru referred to it as. But I suppose it is one of our own choosing. For doing what we needed to protect our people." 

“So, to be commander is to be alone?" Madi asks, noticing again that they seemed to be the only people around. 

“Not necessarily. When I first arrived, I saw my parents and friends long gone, but now yes, I have had a solitary existence."

“Why?” 

"I am waiting for Clarke. We could not have a life where we owned nothing to our people in life, but I would very much like one now. When she crosses over."

“Why be here then? Shouldn’t you be waiting with Abby or Bellamy or her dad?” 

"They may have once been her first stop, but you, little one, you will be who she searches for first."

“So, what we just wait?” 

"I have found you need on my think about someone, and this place will lead you to them, but I would like to accompany you if that is alright. I would very much like to see Clarke again. I just know that you will be who she looks for first."

Madi is confused and starts with the first question that pops into her head, "how would you know? Clarke met me after you... ah... died," Madi finished awkwardly.

"Like I said, this place seems to sense your desire, and I found myself here. With you. My deepest desire is to see Clarke and this place brought me to you and this place."

“She really cares about you,” Madi tells Lexa, “she didn’t want me to become Commander because you died.” 

Lexa smiles sadly; her last living memory was Clarke leaning over her, sobbing and telling her to hold on, "I wished I had lived."

Not sure how to respond, Madi instead asks another question she had, “how long have you been here?”

“It seems like a few days, but I have heard from others it’s been over 100 years since I have walked among the living.” 

“So, you don’t think it’ll be long until....” Madi’s question is drowned out by someone shouting her name. Madi snaps her head in the direction she heard her name from. 

Clarke is already running towards Madi and Lexa. Lexa rises slowly but doesn’t move from the bench where she and Madi had been talking. Madi looks over at Lexa briefly then runs for Clarke. 

They meet halfway, and Madi jumps in Clarke's arms, and Clarke holds on tight.

"How are you here?" Madi mumbles, still holding tight to Clarke.

Clarke is holding on tight, "I've missed you, little one."

Madi lets go of Clarke, “but I’ve only been here a day. Clarke, you didn’t...” 

Clarke looks confused, “it’s been 40 years, Madi.” 

Madi releases the breath she didn’t know she had been holding and nearly jumps back into Clarke’s arms, “I’m sorry.” 

“Me too,” Clarke tells Madi and holds her close. 

Two people appear behind Clarke, and Madi can't believe it; it's her mom and dad. She hasn't seen them since Primafaya. Clarke turns to follow Madi's line of sight. 

"Are those your parents?" Clarke asks softly. Madi nods, "you should go then, Madi."  
Madi turns back to Clarke, "what about you?"

"I'll be right here if you ever need me," Clarke promises. 

Madi gives Clarke a tight hug, "I don't want to lose you again."

Clarke crouches down to her height, "something Gaia taught me is that those we love never really leave us. They are always here," Clarke taps her heart, "and if you want me with you, I'm there. I promise you. But I think they have been waiting a long time to see you too."

Madi gives Clarke another hug and looks over at Lexa, and she knows that Clarke will be happy here if she goes with her parents for now, "I love you, Clarke."

"I love you too, Madi." 

Madi lets go of Clarke, "I think you've waited long enough to Clarke," Clarke cocks her head to the side in confusion, and Madi points to Lexa.

"Lexa," Clarke breathes, having just noticed her.

"Clarke," Madi says. Clarke's attention snaps back to Madi, "I know you did the best you could."

"I could have done better."

"I'll see you soon," Madi promises. 

"The minute you want," Clarke also promises. 

With that, Madi turns and walks towards her parents; just as she gets to them, she turns back and is happy to see that Lexa has gone to Clarke and is holding her hand as they both watch Madi reunite with her parents.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it here. Thank you.


End file.
